The name PJ Budler has been uttered worldwide in conversations about learning from the best in cattle breeding and expertise. This extraordinary man had humble beginnings in the Eastern Cape in South Africa.

He says: “That is where a lot of the livestock philosophies I believe in got instilled in me.” These philosophies propelled him into working in 112 countries globally! His job entails moving around different countries, looking for improvements and opportunities that can be made in different cattle industries.

Now living in Texas, PJ also has his own consulting company called Global Livestock Solutions.

In a recent conference and farmers day in collaboration with the Bonsmara Genetics Group, he shared some of his best advice on the what, how and what not concerning cattle breeding and the cattle industry.

He started his presentation by thanking Jan Bonsma, attributing his success to the studies he undertook with Jan. He referred to Jan as: “The man and the genius who started this breed. To still have that market share after 60 years is incredible.” He continues by saying that the Bonsmara-breed is well-situated to expand in South Africa.

PJ states that the most dangerous thing that can happen to a breed is for it to become popular and expensive. With the Bonsmara-breed, this may be the same case. “The temptation to take your foot of the accelerator and just relax for a bit is there. My encouragement is to keep doing what you are doing but stay hungry. Everything is great, until it is not great.”

Global cattle market challenges and opportunities

The theme for PJ’s presentation was the challenges and opportunities posed by the international cattle market, as well as trying to marry that with breeding cattle for functional efficiency and profitability.

PJ emphasised the importance of having a holistic view when it comes to farming. “We all have one or two disciplines that we like doing and we tend to do them more than the ones we dislike doing. It is important to identify what the important disciplines are and to ensure there are people implementing it, to maximise productivity and minimise losses in those areas.”

The eight divisions of a farming enterprise that PJ believes cannot be overlooked, are genetics, herd management, nutrition, animal health, marketing, record keeping, forage management, and human resources. The challenge is understanding that each one of these is as important as the next. “It all comes down to balance.

“We have to break down the traits of an animal to profit traits and turnover traits. Profit traits keep us in business and turnover traits are the ones that we get paid for.” PJ adds that adaptability is the gateway into profitable livestock. Without adaptability, no genes can express themselves. “You cannot have functional efficiency without adaptability, and without functional efficiency you cannot have fertility.” Longevity is another trait that PJ puts an emphasis on.

In terms of aspects that should be considered when looking at adaptability, PJ highlights body type, hide colour, a slick coat, muscles, semen excretion, and extra skin. Black coats, for example, absorbs the light which makes it harder for them to cool down. Therefore, you would prefer a red or lighter colour coat in hot climates. If your animal is adapted to its environment, its longevity will increase naturally.

PJ warns farmers about the often-believed misconception about feed efficiency. “An animal that is feed efficient in the feedlot, most probably will not be as efficient on grass,” he says. Most people assume that if an animal is efficient in one, it will be efficient in both. The challenge is finding an animal that will be adequate in both.

The concept of RFI (residual feed intake), is relatively new in South Africa. PJ breaks it down as follows: “Basically, it is a big cow that eats like a little cow. The problem with this is that the energy requirements for that cow is never met for reproduction, milk production or fighting disease. It can work in the feedlot, but once that cow enters the veld, the cow is never going to have enough calories.”

Fertility

PJ stresses fertility as the most important economic trait. “If we start measuring fertility practically and not academically, we can breed for it.” According to him, if you have a feminine cow and a masculine bull, which leads to easy fleshing, they will be fertile. It is as easy as simple maths.

“Are we selecting for fertility, or against infertility?” This is the question PJ poses to the audience. “We need to recognise the masculine bulls and feminine cows at a young age. This is phenotyping for fertility.”

Longevity is important. Keeping cows for as long as possible breeding for you, is the only way. “The more replacement females we have to keep on, the more expensive it becomes. The way to avoid that is to make our cows as productive as possible for as long as we can.”

Sometimes when breeding against infertility, it can happen that the phenotypes of the animals change. Either you have the case of a feminine bull and a masculine cow, or the bull and the cow look like two entirely different species. JP advises that the most important thing in terms of recognising fertility, is that the bull should immediately be recognisable in the herd and should never blend in with the females.

What size should a cow be?

“This is a question that I get everywhere I go.” PJ devised a seven-point plan to answer this question.

“The first thing is, if you provide the appropriate nutrition, that is a good first step. The second point is that your females must have calved at 39 months. They also must conceive at a 90-day breeding season. As they go on, we can bring it down to 60 days and then 45. They should also do it every year and in that season. The fifth thing is to establish a minimum weaning weight in your area. The calf must be at least 45 percent of the cow’s weight at seven months.”

If you follow these six steps, it will naturally lead to point seven: after three or four years, every cow on your farm will be the right size. This is how you optimise your cow size.

Phenotype

“When judging animals on their phenotype, the first thing to keep in mind is that they must eat, walk, and reproduce. The second thing to keep in mind is the list of important traits: adaptability which creates functional efficiency, allows for fertility and longevity.”

“It is easy to breed good cows. But now you have to match what is deemed a good one to fit your objectives, resources, and environment,” JP continues.

He further explains that it can be necessary to take a step back. Sometimes people get too close to their cattle, and “you cannot see what is right in front of your face.” Being too far away is also not going to work. “If you really want to see something, you need to be an adequate distance from it. Not on top of it and also not too far away from it.”

Fatty animals

PJ starts this animal trait focus off by saying that there are two ways of making your cows fat: nutritionally and genetically, which is the more expensive option. Doing it genetically is also dangerous as it can ruin the animal’s physiology.

“Feedlots around the world want lean cattle that grow. My argument is for earlier maturing, fleshing cattle. From a grazing perspective, these are non-selective grazers, they eat everything. They also have a better temperament. They are obviously more fertile. When the steak hits the plate, you are going to have a better eating experience as well,” PJ explains.

A last thought

PJ is a big advocate for challenging thoughts and ideas. He encourages debates and thinking about the cattle industry, as it can only lead to new ideas improvement.

If you would like to reach PJ, you can send an e-mail to pjbudler@gmail.com. To find out more information about him, visit his website at www.pjbudler.com.